Aiming to replicate our Instagram success on YouTube, next focus is on creating IPs, says Borges Andre of Nutshell

Pocket Aces’ infotainment channel 'Nutshell' recently crossed the one million follower mark on Instagram, on this occasion Borges Andre, Channel Head of Nutshell, spoke about the idea behind its launch, its USP and the areas in which they are planning to focus in the coming days.

Speaking about the channel's growth, Andre said, "The idea behind Nutshell was to explore untold stories. At Nutshell we try to tackle things people don’t understand and break down complex topics. We felt that that was a big miss in the market."

As per Andre, the channel's content strategy aims at adding value for the audience. He said that their videos intentionally have conversational language to make it easy for people to understand the subjects, and make them come back for more. 

"I think the strongest part of Nutshell is that we have strategies for each format of content, as well as each platform. We actually have a different frequency for short form content, and long form content within each category. For example, we feel that sexual health and personal finance are more suitable for short-form content," he said. He went on to add that their decision to keep videos short or long also depends on the shareability of content pieces. 

He said that over a period of time there were many challenges like changes in algorithm, but it was their strategy and the ability to redefine themselves that helped them. 

"There were challenges like the engagement rate going down, the number of followers dropping, change in algorithm, etc. So, we had to create a strategy that gave a flexible and adaptable structure. We were not married to one particular content strategy. It was adaptable to a point where every week or every month, we could switch up the strategy with ease, because we already had the insights and data. I think data is very important today for the creator businesses," he said.

The channel is further aiming at going bigger by creating original IPs, as per Andre. "So, for me as a channel head, I don't need to look at Instagram numbers. They are happening organically. So now we're aiming to replicate that on YouTube. Once we do that, we will move to the next big thing which is to create larger IPs.”

Andre further clarified that they are not a news channel but an infotainment platform and they intend to keep things that way.

"I think while news channels are trying to enter this middle ground of giving people stories along with hard news, they are splitting the audience. We are not doing that. So, what we try to do is create a space, where it's more about how it affects the person rather than the incident itself," he added. 

Nutshell's branded content initiatives 

As per Andre, they have been approached by a lot of brands since they reached the million-followers mark. 

"We've had conversations with brands where they see our Instagram numbers and are completely baffled that they haven't heard of us before. Today brands have also become smarter and understand the value of short-form." 

The channel in the past has worked with brands like Amazon Prime Video. Andre further revealed that they are also in talks with educational platforms.

"I think there are a lot of platforms in the market that are giving brands some space but they are too long. Today people don't want to watch really long documentaries, they have Netflix for that. So, our aim was to figure out a way to get them the best material in the shortest amount of time." 

He concluded by saying, "The value that we bring to brands is being able to connect to a young and hungry audience, and also being able to give them easily digestible pieces of content that challenge their perceptions of those pieces of content, as well as educate them enough to add value to those pieces of content.”